1. Software Project Planning
Project Planning, Scheduling, and Monitoring
Jalote-2002, etc.

2. Introduction
Effectively schedule, allocate, use, and replace resources to achieve goals
Master schedule is the basic tool and main output of planning
Project control is based on comparing the progress with schedule
Planning and scheduling are dynamic

3. Reluctance to Planning
Takes too much time and cost
Preventive action
Long-term payoff is greater than short-term cost
Too tedious (mental activity)
“Thinker” and “doer”
Ego (shoot from the hip)
Not realistic

4. Effective Schedule Understandable Sufficiently detailed
Highlighting critical tasks
Flexible
Based on reliable estimates
Conform to available resources
Compatible with other related projects

5. Scheduling
Total schedule is a function of total effort and (flexible) resource allocation issues.
Simple estimate of schedule:
S = a * Eb
“Square root” rule of thumb:
Proposed schedule and number of resources should be around the square root of total effort in person-month.
Dependencies have to be considered too.

6. Scheduling
Next step: milestones, per-phase resource allocation, and detailed scheduling
Rayleigh curve and peak time size (PTS)
Peak usually happens at “build” phases after “design” and before “test”
In detailed schedule, low level tasks should need a few days and one person
Slack time
Due to fixed resource allocation
Used for training, documentation, …
Schedule and effort distributions are different
Design and test usually have larger percentage of schedule compared to effort
Schedule: %, manpower ratio: 1,2,1

7. Developing the Schedule
Defining objectives
Attainable, definitive, quantifiable, with specific duration
Breaking down the work
Sequencing the activities
Estimating the activity costs and durations
Reconciling with time constraints
Reconciling with resource constraints
Reviewing

8. Work Breakdown Structure
WBS is a hierarchical representation of a process or product or both (hybrid).
WBS can be shown in a tree graph or as an indented list
A decimal numbering to label the elements
e.g is the 2nd element of the 1st element of the 4th
4th
1st
2nd

9. Tree Graph WBS for ATC ATC System Project Management SW Eng.
Operations
Product Assur.
Req. Eng.
Design
Coding
Test QA
V&V
Preliminary
Detailed

10. Indented List WBS for ATC
0.0 Air Traffic Control (ATC) System
1.0 Project Management
2.0 Software Engineering
2.1 Requirement Engineering
2.2 Design
2.3 Coding
2.4 Test
3.0 Operations
4.0 Product Assurance
4.1 Quality Assurance
4.2 Verification and Validation

11. Notes on WBS “Rolling wave” approach
First top levels
Gradual completion
Keep partitioning into 72 elements
WBS dictionary
Make sure about numbering scheme
Top-level zero or one, …
Work package specification for lowest level entries (info, completion, …)

12. Sequencing Scheduled Activities
Interrelationship among activities
Milestones and Gantt charts are most common
Gantt chart also shows the relationship between work load and time
Full-wall method gives a global view
Precedence networks are used for larger projects
Critical Path Method (CPM)
Program Evaluation and Review Technique

13. Milestone Chart Simplest scheduling method
Small projects or summary of larger ones
Ease and minimal cost
No interrelationships exhibited
Only completion dates
Not enough feedback

14. Gantt Chart Gantt or Bar chart used more frequently than others
Suitable for projects with less than 25 activities
Graphical display of start/end times
Shows overlapping activities easily
CPM or PERT are translated to Gantt sometimes
For estimation of resource and budget vs. time

15. Gantt Example - 1

16. Gantt Example - 2

17. Precedence Networks
Network is a graphical representation of sequential relationship between:
Activities
Events
Critical Path Method (CPM)
Activity-based
Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
Event-based

18. CPM/PERT AOA (activity-on-arc) AON (activity-on-node) CPM PERT
Nodes are “events” and arcs are “activities” leading to them
AON (activity-on-node)
Nodes are “activities” and arcs show the sequence/order
CPM
Labels and focuses on activities
Usually AOA
e.g. construction projects
PERT
Labels and focuses on events
Almost always AOA
More complicated projects

19. CPM/PERT Graph

20. Critical Path

21. Activity Slack
Maximum time that an activity can be delayed without delaying the entire project
Zero for those on critical path
S = LS - ES or S = LF – EF
LS is Latest and ES is Earliest Start time for activity (or source node)
LF is Latest and EF is Earliest Finish time
Earliest times calculated using “forward pass”
ESj = maxi {(ESi + time for activity ai,j)} , i and j are nodes
ES for last node is “project deadline”
Latest times calculated using “backward pass”
What’s the latest time for each node, keeping the deadline?

22. Probabilistic PERT No unique estimate for time/effort
Optimistic, a
Realistic, m
Pessimistic, b
mean=((2m+(a+b)/2)/3)
sigma2=((b-a)/6)2
Central Limit Theorem
Sum of the activity times on the critical path is a random variable with a normal distribution, its mean and variance the sum of the means and variances of the activities on the critical path

23. When CPM/PERT? Sequential Interrelated Ordered Without interruption
Well-defined
CPM
Uncertain
PERT (allows probability for time estimates)

24. Format for Project Plan - 1
Title page
Signature page
Change history
Preface
Table of contents
List of figures
List of tables

25. Format for Project Plan - 2
1- Overview
Summary
Purpose, scope, objectives
Assumptions and constraints
Deliverables
Schedule and budget summary
Evolution of plan
2- References
3- Definitions

26. Format for Project Plan - 3
4- Project organization
External interface
Internal structure
Roles and responsibilities
5- Managerial process plans
Estimation (cost, schedule)
Work (activities, resource and budget allocation)
Control (quality, metrics, …)
Risk management

27. Format for Project Plan - 4
6- Technical process plans
Process model
Methods, tools
Acceptance plan
7- Supporting process plans
Configuration management
Verification/validation
Quality assurance (reviews, audits, …)
Subcontract
Process improvement plan
Annexes
Index

28. Effective Project Control
Detailed planning
Deliverables and measurable milestones
Communication
Tracking (money, time, resources, tasks)
Reviews
Signing-on
Reasons for poor control?

29. Project Tracking Activities tracking Defect tracking Issues tracking
Use Microsoft Project or similar tools
Percent completed
Defect tracking
Submission, injection, detection, closure dates
Type, severity, people involved
Related changes
Issues tracking
Small jobs, …
Status reports

30. Milestone Analysis Actual vs. estimated effort and schedule
Re-schedule
Scheduling training
Review tasks
Quality monitoring
Review test procedure
More tests
Risk-related monitoring